Getty Dan Campbell hugs Jared Goff after the Lions beat the Vikings in 2021.
The Detroit Lions have done a lot to improve their roster for 2022 with the hopes of contention in the future, and at this point, the only question that remains is how soon that contention could come.
Many see the team as being a few years away, but some others believe that the Lions could compete this season for an immediate playoff birth. Pro Football Focus and analyst Eric Eager wrote an article about why he believes he is the case.
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Eager outlined scenarios in which he believes bettors should be going all-in on Detroit. As he explained, folks should be betting the over on six wins in 2022, betting yes on the team playing in the playoffs and yes on the team winning the NFC North division.
As for the reason why, Eager believes Detroit’s roster upgrades and the team’s beefed up offensive line is a big reason why the team should be successful, in addition to their schedule. As he writes, “the Lions’ situations in 2022 are projected to be much better, meaning that their rate of long-yardage situations and trailing in games should be lower than it was in the past, which should lower (Jared) Goff’s pressure rates.”
Eager concludes that he believes the team will be one of the top ones standing from their conference when all is said and done.
“In a weak NFC, there will be a team that we don’t think is good that still emerges to make the seven-team tournament, and I believe that team will be the Lions,” he wrote in the piece.
It’s a bold prediction to make, but it’s one that many are coming out to preach at this point of the offseason.
Lions Have Better Playoff Odds Now, Seen as Improved
Thoughts are swirling in the NFL community about Detroit being a contender in more than one place. The Lions are one of five teams who have seen a fairly dramatic shift in terms of their future playoff odds. As a piece by Alex Kay of Bleacher Report pointed out, coming into the season, the Lions were seen as a playoff long shot based mostly on their 2021 finish, but now, the team is a +400 to make the postseason. That’s a significant turnaround, and not that much of a long shot at this point in time.
As Kay wrote, in spite of the frustration of not adding a young quarterback to the mix, “there is still upside for a winning season and playoff berth in the wake of a fantastic draft.” The reason? Mostly an improved defense as Kay notes, but an offense that has added some intriguing pieces to the mix as well in Jameson Williams and DJ Chark.
In spite of all the negatives that came with not bringing a flashy new quarterback into the mix, Kay believes “the team has a higher ceiling in 2022 and has positioned itself to become a viable contender when it finally lands another elite QB.”
Many believe that could be 2023, which could place the Lions as serious 2024-25 contenders. Even in spite of that, the team could surprise some folks and be a playoff team in 2022-23 perhaps ahead of schedule.
Roster Upgrades Should Help Lions Move Forward
In addition to the team’s friendly schedule, the Lions could be ready for a turnaround thanks to the fact that they have beefed up their roster. Detroit has improved greatly on defense up to this point of the offseason, with some of their heaviest lifting coming on that side of the ball. Not only did the Lions add names like Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Paschal, but they drafted underrated players like Kerby Joseph, Malcolm Rodriguez and James Houston, any of whom could fight for a role. In free agency, Detroit added linebackers Chris Board and Jarrad Davis, cornerback Mike Hughes and safety DeShon Elliot.
Offensively, the Lions added players with upside such as DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond. They also managed to secure dynamic wideout Jameson Williams in the draft and added intriguing tight end James Mitchell later on in the fifth-round as well. This, combined with health from Jared Goff, T.J. Hockenson, D’Andre Swift and the offensive line could have the Lions in great shape to chase down a big rebound season on the field.
At this point, that’s just what Eager and PFF also see as the case.
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